ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 69361
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| Date: | Tuesday 11 June 1940 |
| Time: | 05:40 |
| Type: |  Bristol Blenheim Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 45 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | L8476 |
| MSN: | OB-G |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Mediterranean Sea, 16 miles E of Tobruk -
 Libya
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | LG-017, Fuka Aerodrome, Sidi Haneish, Egypt |
| LG-017, Fuka Aerodrome, Sidi Haneish, Egypt |
Bristol Blenheim Mk.I L8476 (OB-G) 45 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (Failed To Return) from combat operations over Libya. All three crew missing, presumed killed. According to thev official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/882): "Blenheim L8476 failed to return from an operational flight in the area of Tobruk, Libya, 11 June 1940. Aircraftman 1st Class J W Allison, Sergeant P Bower and Sergeant S G Fox: missing presumed dead.
Hit by flak, caught fire, and crashed in sea 16 miles east of Tobruk, returning from raid on El Adem. All three crew posted as "missing, believed killed". One of two 45 Squadron Blenheims lost on this day in the combat engagement. According to a published Italian source (see link #8)
"These were followed by eight Bristol Blenheim Mk.Is of 45 Squadron that took off from Fuka at 04:15 and attacked the airfield of El Adem T3. Initially the raid was to be against Tobruk’s harbour, but the reconnaissance of 211 Squadron's aircraft showed it deprived of any significant targets.
The British formation was composed of eight 45 Squadron Blenheims, led by Squadron Leader Dallamore (Blenheim Mk.I L8478), Flying Officer Williams (L8469), Sergeant Thurlow (L8519), Flight Lieutenant Troughton Smith (L8481), Pilot Officer Gibbs (L4923), Sergeant Bower (L8476), Flying Officer Rixson (L8524) and Flying Officer Finch (L8466).
The British pilots returned from T3 claiming that they had attacked at 05:40 with 40lb, 20lb and 4lb incendiary bombs and also had strafed in subsequent passes with front and rear guns. Although no enemy aircraft were encountered, the ground defences had been in action immediately. These were described as “not heavy” and in fact it is known that at the beginning of the conflict for the defence of all the 35 air strips of Cirenaica, the Italians had only 17 ex-Austrian Schwarzlose 8mm gun of WW I vintage armed with standard ammunition and with a maximum range of 600 meters.
Later more details enriched the description of this first attack, reporting that the returning crews had claimed that the entire manpower of the Italian base had been assembled on parade, as if the commanding officer had been reading a signal from Marshal Italo Balbo (Italian Commander-in-Chief) announcing the declaration of war. The Blenheims had hit two hangars burning them, then had strafed and bombed the Italian aircraft that were parked in rows as in peacetime and not dispersed destroying several of them.
Three Blenheims failed to return and two more were damaged. Blenheim Mk.I L8476 was reportedly hit by light flak shortly after the last attack, caught fire and crashed into the sea killing the crew; Sergeant Peter Bower (RAF no. 524415), Sergeant Stanley George Fox (RAF no. 747815) and Aircraftman 1st Class John William Allison (RAF no. 543233)."
Crew of Blenheim L8476:
Sergeant Peter Bower, RAF 524415, age 23, posted as missing 11/06/1940, presumed killed in action
Sergeant Stanley G. Fox, RAFVR 747815, age 21, posted as missing 11/06/1940, presumed killed in action
Aircraftman 1st Class John W. Allison, RAF 543233, age 19, posted as missing 11/06/1940, presumed killed in action
As no trace of Blenheim L8476 or its crew was ever found, they are commemorated on the Alamein Memorial, El Alamein, Egypt
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 58)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/882: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502528
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1535985/bower,-peter/
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1536689/fox,-stanley-george/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1535739/allison,-john-william/
6. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/45_squadron.html#1106
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidi_Haneish_Airfield
8. http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/italy_ruzzene.htm
9. http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/05149.php
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Oct-2009 03:23 | JINX | Added |
| 18-Jan-2012 02:22 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 03-Aug-2013 22:39 | JINX | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 07-Dec-2014 06:09 | Fort Knox | Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
| 08-Oct-2018 18:38 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 25-Sep-2019 00:30 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 25-Sep-2019 04:12 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
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